Lake Ray Roberts State Park

Lake Ray Roberts is one of the big reservoirs in the DFW area and can be accessed using public launch sites within Ray Roberts State Park. The kayak map trail route here is a kind of an arbitrary go across, go up, go down, beginning at the Isle du Bois Unit. This is one of several park units dispersed about the lake, each with different names. The Elm Fork of the Trinity flows out from Ray Roberts and eventually runs into Lake Lewisville. As the pictures show, the open water and sky are fantastic, and the horizon on this lake is a long ways away. Open water crossings, no matter the conditions but especially in the cold, require common sense, judgement, and experience. I tend to avoid them, and one of the links, Center for Cold Water Safety, has all sorts of useful information about cold water and kayak safety. For this particular paddle I am in a dry suit. The route for this paddle went up the west side to Wolf Island, around, and back south down the east side to the launch. Very nice.

Above: Hanging out.

Above: Long ways away in dark water.

Above: Launch site at Isle du Bois.

Above: Brief stop on Wolf Island.